June 30, 2011

I wish we had smell-o-vision so everyone could truly appreciate this one!  The Tiare Gardenia was brought to the Hawaiian Islands by the ancient Polynesians for its medicinal qualities.  I like it because it has such a wonderful scent!
Kailua, Hawaii

July 29, 2011

I think the day holds promise.  Good morning!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 28, 2011

Nothing better than a bowl of fresh fruit to go with dinner.  Pineapple, mango and kiwi.... yum!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 27, 2011

Josh is in the controlled red and blue topper at the back while Sam and Spencer are hiking out on the edge in the bumble bee laser up front.  All the boys cleared the buoy and made the tack without capsizing.  The water had a bit of chop and the winds were puffy today.  Great day on the water!
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

June 26, 2011

Zach and Nate are ready for Boy Scout Summer Camp at the North Shore.  They have already done a weekend camp trip at Camp Pupukea, so they're familiar with the site.  For the week Zach plans to work on Rifle Shooting, Pioneering, Environmental Science and Camping merit badges.  Nate's got Wilderness Survival, Wood Carving, Environmental Science, Camping and Cinematography merit badges on his agenda.  Both boys hope to knock out the final requirement the Scuba Diving merit badge as well.  All in all, it should prove to be an adventure packed, productive week.
Kailua, Hawaii

June 25, 2011

Sam and I went over to Hale Koa Beach on the other side of the runway today for a Cub Scout Pack meeting.  The boys played on the beach, a little bit in the water, ate some dinner and roasted s'mores.  As I was standing watch I saw this triple mast boat sail on by.   There are a few white caps, but pretty smooth sailing for them.
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

June 24, 2011

I know.... I've posted a Hawaiian rainbow picture already, but this was just too spectacular to pass up.  It was late morning and I don't even think we got the rain at our house.  What a beautiful way to start the weekend!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 23, 2011

This is just the warm up for the day, the first of ..... well, just two because they're strong little nippers and I don't function well with more than that.  Last night I enjoyed a girlie movie hour with Karen, an evening baking (and breakfast prep.) session with Jordan, a late night labyrinthian (but fruitful!) search on the internet for French Top 40 music and then an extensive 5-man X-Box games marathon taking place in my living room.  Finally, at the wee hours of the morning, I stumbled to the back of the house more than ready to climb into my bed for some much desired shut eye only to rise with the sun just a few short hours later so that beignets (doughnuts for Americans) could be fried for the masses..... or at least for the 5 young men strewn out and snoring on my living room floor.  

Coffee is a wonderful thing.

Kailua, Hawaii

June 22, 2011

This is the Royal Poinciana and can be found in bloom all over the island right now.  It is a native tropical legume tree from Madagascar and is related to the Tamarind and Mimosa trees.  By Hawaii standards, the Royal Poinciana is considered a flamboyant tree.  I couldn't agree more!

Hawaii Kai, Hawaii 

June 21, 2011

A little bit of rain to start the day.  It helps to beat back the heat and it keeps everything very green. Quiet morning with a few birds chirping and a light wind blowing the clinging raindrops off the foliage.

Kailua, Hawaii

June 20, 2011

I was just down at the marina waiting for Jordan to get off from work and this is what I got.  Apparently, this Spring has been unusually wet around here and..... oh, look.... another rain storm!  Well, at least these storms are short lived, warm and produce some magnificent colors!
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

June 19, 2011

We've had a busy weekend so it was nice staying home to do a project for Father's Day.  Hawaii's weather is just stunning most of the time, but also very caustic for the lawn furniture.  After just one year on island, the Adirondack chairs needed a new coat of paint.  Dave and the boys spent some time sanding and washing the chairs before applying a couple coats of heavy duty exterior paint.  Hopefully the extra effort will allow it to survive a few more years.  A truly fun and easy Father's Day project for this Dad and his crazy boys.  Happy Father's Day!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 18, 2011

Zach (3) and Nate (1) had their first experience with competitive sail racing today.  Nate and Zach took 1st and 2nd place (respectively) for their sail category!!!  Here they are in the single man El Toros hiking out for a straight away in Pearl Harbor.   If you look closely, just beyond the floating bridge you can see the top and flag of the Arizona Memorial and the super structure of the USS Missouri.   It was a gorgeous day with light winds and a little bit of chop in the waves.  They did get some rain, but all of our sailors said it was a nice cool down.   Congratulations to all the racers from Marine Corps Base Hawaii and a GREAT BIG "Thank You" to Ken, Bob, Donna and Jordan who work with, helped and instructed the kids all day.
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

June 17, 2011

We went over to the Leeward side of the Island today for some shopping and lunch out.   The big stops were Home Depot and the Lego store at the Ala Moana Mall.  Lunch was a potpourri melange of Italian, Greek, Japanese and Chinese delicacies from the food court.  Great people watching!  Needless to say, the boys were wiped out during the long drive (30 minutes) back to the Windward side and home.
Somewhere along the Pali Highway, Hawaii

June 16, 2011

So I went out to check on the largest tomato plant in all of Hawaii, you know, the one taking over the back slope of my yard.  Guess who's had a nibble at some of the tastiest, juiciest ripe tomatoes in all of Kailua?  That's right.... this guy!  And about a hundred of his closest family and friends!   There's not a single tomato left on the vine.  I suppose vine ripened tomatoes from California will have to do in this household.
Kailua, Hawaii

June 15, 2011

Jordan's first day at work!  It's kind of like when we take pictures of them on the first day of school..... I'll leave it up to you to interpret the look.  In her defense, she did humor me by allowing me take a few snapshots, but after about a dozen she began to lose her patience.   Hmmm.... I wonder how her first day went of assisting with the youth sailing program?   Her adorable, fun-loving brothers make up half of the morning class.....

Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii 

June 14, 2011

Sam and I are returning from the best Cub Scout resident camp trip EVER!!!   We can't wait to do this again in a few months.  A great big THANK YOU to the incredible Venture Scout 5-0 staff and our own Pack 225 group for an amazing and productive 2-night camping experience!
Haleiwa, Hawaii

June 13, 2011

Air rifle shooting at Camp Pupukea.  One of the many activities the boys got to participate in while at "The First Ever, Not To Be The Last" cub scout resident camp.  My favorite was the archery range, but Sam enjoyed shooting best.  We had arrived the previous day at the camp location on the North Shore of Oahu and immediately set up our little 3-man yellow cocoon under a canopy of tall shade trees.  We apparently did a fabulous job picking out the perfect tent site and setting up our abode because despite bucket loads of rain falling on us, we were comfy, cozy warm and dry through the night!
Haleiwa, Hawaii

June 12, 2011

Jordan is home from school for the summer so we started the break with haircuts for everyone!  Jordan is gearing up for her job at the base marina while the boys are getting ready for sail racing and cub/boy scout camps.  

Kailua, Hawaii

June 11, 2011

For Dave's birthday we got him a trick kite.  Here, Zach and I are testing things out while Dave took over behind the camera.  The wind has been perfect for flying kites!  Today we send off good friends John and Karen Broadmeadow.  They leave our beautiful island paradise for the arid lands of Camp Pendleton.  Fare winds and following seas to an incredible couple....you will be missed!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 10, 2011

Guess who's home from college?!?!?!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 9, 2011

Remember a few weeks back when I posted a picture of a cute little spider spinning her home just outside our front window?  Well, the neighbor boy Patrick was accurate when he stated they eat a lot... he was also quite correct when he said they get very big! Big, ugly and creepy looking to be exact!  I snapped this shot this morning, but by late afternoon her web was in shambles and she was gone!  I think she hopped on the back of a passing yard guy.... at least, I hope she did!
And a quick shout out, "Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!"
Kailua, Hawaii

June 8, 2011

I got the opportunity to go sailing with the girls this morning while the boys were doing the small sail racing class.  We took a 22 foot day sailer out to the sandbar just to get some more time on the tiller.  We had 15-18 knot winds with lots of gusty stuff and choppy seas.  At the end of the sandbar and beyond the reef is this little island called Chinaman's Hat.   We has 15-18 knot winds with lots of gusty stuff and choppy seas.  It was not one of my more comfortable sailing days, but the camaraderie couldn't be beat!  Thanks Karen and Donna for a good day on the water!  The air show we got from the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard flyers was a thriller as well!
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

June 7, 2011

Marine Corps humor.
Kaneohe, Hawaii

June 6, 2011

Since I posted SO early yesterday, I feel as if I've skipped a day!  We ventured out to the other side of the runway to check out these model airplanes.  They're really big models and quite impressive.  It looks as if the boys are already formulating their purchase plan.  They liked this corsair in particular because of all the episodes of Baa Baa Black Sheep Dave made them watch!
Kaneohe, Hawaii

June 5, 2011

Yet another electrical storm over and around the island of Oahu.  This one just hung out over us for about 3 hours last night and into the early hours of this morning.  I happened to capture this despite not having a tripod or knowing much about lightning photography.  Just a note... I did wait until the activity was away from the house and out over the water.  What an awesome spectacular show... but, enough already!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 4, 2011

We had more storms again this morning.  The rattling windows from the powerful booming thunder woke me up pretty early.... around 4am.  I figured another blustery, stormy morning called for something warm and cozy for breakfast.   Warm, golden and sticky honey butter pull-apart rolls and hot chocolate (coffee for the adults) made the perfect combination.  Yes.... yummy!
Soggy Kailua,  Hawaii

June 3, 2011

Some more very powerful electrical storms passed over the island Oahu this morning.  I was trying to get some lightening shots, but most of the activity was above the clouds.  This is a shot of Kansas tower (the highest point of the base) at about 0630 Hawaii time.  Normally, at this point in the year it would have been about an hour after sunrise and fully daylight, but the storm had made the sky take on an eerie night time appearance.  A very menacing sight at the beginning of this storm!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 2, 2011

"We promise we won't get wet, Mom!"  Sure thing.  We decided to take a break in between our final exams and stroll to the beach.  The past week has been pretty stormy and our beach has been swept away so no real swimming permitted.  No worries though because I'm sure another storm next week will bring back loads more sand.  That's how it works around here.  I'm hoping exams are finished and I can record some final grades by the end of next week.   We are ready for a big break!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 1, 2011

This was the last sail class of the school year for the Homeschool Sailing Group.  The two instructors took the 14 students out to the sandbar on the marina's 22 ft. day sailboats.   Of course, they got rained on.... A LOT, but they also had a fantastic time on the water with some erratic whipping winds.  Never a dull moment for the young sailors around here!  I tried to go out in a kayak and only got so far before the tumultuous winds sent me home.  I did get a few snapshots before the boats sailed away.
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii